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Not the Same Old Thing

January 1, 2019

You guys! You know how three years ago, I wrote an open letter to Dear Abby about the fat-shaming nonsense in her columns, including her annual “Just For Today” New Year’s post? She called me, and we had a good talk, but a year later she posted the same thing. (She said her mother, the original Dear Abby, was the author.) Here’s what it said:

JUST FOR TODAY: I will do something positive to improve my health. If I’m a smoker, I’ll quit. If I am overweight, I will eat healthfully – if only just for today. And not only that, I will get off the couch and take a brisk walk, even if it’s only around the block.

I sent her a message two years ago, and last year, but got no response. For the past few days, I’ve been bracing myself to see, yet again, a message implying that “overweight” people all eat too much and move too little. So imagine my surprise when THIS version landed in my inbox!

JUST FOR TODAY: I will do something positive to improve my health. If I’m a smoker, I’ll quit. And I will get off the couch and take a brisk walk, even if it’s only around the block.

What an auspicious way to kick off the new year! Sure, I’m seeing endless ads from the diet industry in my social media feeds, promising a better life once my body is smaller, but knowing that Dear Abby finally got the message? I’ll call that a win. (Caveat that I know telling people to get up and walk is ableist in many ways. Abby still has much to learn.)

If you’re looking for some assumption-free Just For Todays, here you go. Happy 2019, friends!